Manchester United suffer major blow in their pursuit of Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, after the 25-years old stated his full commitment to Barcelona, describing the Catalans as “the club of my dreams”.
United’s manager Erik Ten Hag tried to lure the midfielder last summer, after the two had spent two season together at Ajax.
The 25-year old, however, opted to stay at Barcelona, despite a dissapointing 2021-2022 campaign.
Since then de Jong has managed to turn his fortune around and has become a force to be reckoned with. His return to form has only fuelled Manchester United’s Interest in him, but their ambitions were cut short as the Dutchman expressed his desire to play for the Catalan giants.
“I hope I will play at the new Camp Nou. Barcelona is the club of my dreams, so I plan to stay for many years.” de Jong told TV3.
The 25-years old was viewed by Manchester United as an ideal candidate to partner Casemiro in midfield. With de Jong’s implicit snub, Erik Ten Hag’s team will have to look elsewhere for an appropriate midfielder, who could live up to Casemiro’s high standarts.